Strangers
by Megii of Mysteri OusStranger
Summary: [He shivered as her breath tickled his ear. “Show me love,” she whispered pleadingly, “Even if it’s not real.”] Fem Naruto. A series of short, sensual shots. Lemon scented.
1. Show Me Love

**Strangers - Show Me Love** (song by Tatu)

The black-clad girl watches with a stoic face as the boy with the painted face threatens the brown-haired grandson of the Hokage. In a swift movement, she draws her sword, blade pressed firmly against the older ninja's neck.

"Release him." She says in a cold voice.

He complies and the child skitters away. With the blade gone, he moves to remove a bandaged object from his back, but is interrupted.

A boy her age stands in a tree. His hair red as blood. Jade eyes ringed with the markings of a tanuki and insomnia. A hint of insanity lingers behind his closed expression.

He reprimands the other boy, calling him a disgrace to their village. The boy with the painted face backs down.

He turns his attention to the deadly, blonde beauty. Her hair in pigtails. "What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naru. Yours?"

"Sabaku no Gaara."

They have never met, yet they are familiars. The same loneliness lingers in both sets of eyes. Pasts covered in blood. Scarred with wounds that never heal. They know one another and will meet again.

Warm water trickles down her moist body as she steps out of the shower. A towel, running over her bare skin, sweeps the moisture away. Golden tresses fall down her back.

She dons her nightclothes and brushes the tangles out of her long locks and steps out of the bathroom. Steam curls up to the ceiling.

She pauses, lowering the brush from her hair. The window to her room is open. Face blank, she walks over and closes it, causing the cool breeze to die away. She stands still, sapphire blue eyes looking up at the stars as she feels a second presence come up behind her.

_This was an accident_

_Not the kind where sirens sound_

A pair of pale arms encircle her, lips connecting with the smooth skin of her neck. She leans into the touch, butterfly eyelashes curling downwards as her eyes close. His warm lips nip at her neck gently.

"Mine?"

"Yours."

_Never even noticed_

_We're suddenly crumbling_

She twists around in his embrace, facing him and brining their lips together. The sensation is strange to both of them and they test their boundaries shyly, hands wandering, tongues prodding.

Her fingers trace over the blood red kanji etched onto his forehead. Self inflicted.

"Love." Something neither has ever known.

_Tell me how you've never felt_

_Delicate or innocent_

His hands trace along the edge of her shirt, pushing it upwards sensually, exposing the seal around her naval. His thumbs run across the sensitive, accursed area, the very place where her demon is sealed.

_Do you have any doubts that_

_Us having faith makes any sense?_

The smallest of whimpers escapes her. Pleading. Needing. Lost. Wanting.

_Tell me nothing ever counts_

_Lashing out or breaking down_

Her hands work along his sash, untying the heavy gourd of sand from his back and allowing it to fall to the floor. Their kisses are quicker now, harder and heavier, more daring, more demanding.

_Still somebody loses 'causes_

_There's no way to turn around_

His hand runs across her smooth skin, reaching down and caressing her plump buttocks. She lifts her legs, wrapping them around his waist. Their lips are still intermingles, almost afraid to let go, lest they become alone again.

_Staring at your photograph_

_Everything now in the past_

He carries her over to her bed, setting her down, the springs of the mattress bouncing her lightly, pushing her breasts into him.

His firm hand pushes her down onto the bed, his form slowly crawling over her. One hand rests on either side of her head and one knee lies on either side of her hips.

Her legs are still wrapped around him. Leaving both trapped.

_Never felt so lonely I_

_Wish that you could show me love_

Fingers entangle themselves in golden and blood red locks

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till you open the door_

His fingers work fast now, removing the buttons from her nightshirt, exposing creamy, smooth skin to the night, leaving nothing hidden.

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till I'm up off the floor_

Her fingers fumble to undo the buckles of his leather strap. She tosses the accessory to the side. Relieving him of his burden.

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till it's inside my pores_

Hands grip tightly. Clothing tears. Cloth is tossed away. Rags. Leaving two naked bodies entwined on the bed.

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till I'm screaming for more_

They are two demons seeking solace in one another. Two lost souls who have never known love, giving the very thing they have been neglected. They starve for one another's touch. Needing more than words can describe

_Random acts of mindlessness_

_Commonplace occurrences_

The outside world no longer matters. All they know is each other and that is all they want.

The curtains of the window are drawn away, exposing their current state of body and mind to any who might happen to pass by at one o'clock in the morning.

_Chances and surprises_

_Another state of consciousness_

Their hands roam over each other freely, exploring and curious. Ignorant of lives beyond loneliness and killing.

She puts her arm down, pushing up to get closer to him, but her hand slides away under her weight, knocking over the bedside table.

The vase breaks as it hits the ground, spilling water and flower petals across the floor.

_Tell me nothing ever counts_

_Lashing out or breaking down_

He pulls his lips away from hers and grasps her hand, kissing the soon-to-be bruised fingers. Healing them. If only in the mental sense. He returns his attention to her lips.

_Still somebody loses 'cause_

_There's no way to turn around._

He pauses at her entrance, his fingers stroking her whisker-marked cheek as he tries to coax away her fear. Her hands grip his shoulders tightly.

Not fear of him, but fear of the intimacy they are about to share. Her scent tells all. She was stolen once.

_Tell me how you've never felt_

_Delicate or innocent_

He makes a deft movement with his hand, warning her. His body moves downward. He silently promises to take away her fear. Make her forget that she was ever taken by anyone but him.

It is a sin, they both know, at such a young age, but they are already considered demons.

Already bound for hell.

_Do you still have doubts that_

_Us having faith makes any sense?_

He kisses away salty, crystalline tears. Moans escape. Bodies thrust. Sweat glistens in the waxing, silver moonlight.

_You play games, I play tricks_

_Girls and girls, but you're the one_

Her fingers drag along his back, fragile and twisted. His gourd lies on the ground, forgotten. He fails to hold back a moan. She pulls him deeper. Eyes dry.

_Like a game of pick-up-sticks_

_Played by fucking lunatics_

Her back arches like the kitsune she is, her legs flinging themselves around his waist. She screams in ecstasy as she nears her peak.

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till you open the door_

His mouth crashes into hers again, demanding and rough. Her walls close around him. Painfully tight. Painfully hot. She screams his name into the night

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till I'm up off the floor_

"GAARA!"

Her name is pulled forcefully from his throat as he spills inside her.

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till it's inside my pores_

"NARU!"

Their bodies go limp. His pale form collapses on top of hers. Sweat intermingling. Spent.

And they kiss.

_Show me love, show me love, show me love_

_Show me love, show me love_

'_Till I'm screaming for more_

He redresses reluctantly, resenting the thought of being alone again. But it is inevitable.

She lies upon her bed, eyes closed, golden hair sweaty and tangled and wild. Just how he likes it.

Her eyes, pools of infinite blue he can easily lose himself in, flutter open as he lowers his face to hers. She gazes into his jade, black-rimmed orbs before reaching up to kiss him once more. Tenderly. Softly. Their fingers brushing against one another's cheeks.

An unspoken farewell.

Because of their demons, they are now mates, forbidden to be intimate with others. But tomorrow they will be strangers again. The night little more than a distant memory. A loving memory. Their only memory of finding a place where they are not alone. Where they are loved.

He climbs out of her window as she drifts off into sleep, climbing onto her rooftop where he will stay for the rest of the night. This night and this night only. Watching over her.

The next day is that of the Chuunin Exams, which they both attend. Neither gives a sparing glance toward the other. Not even when she receives a cut on the cheek from an instructor. Already memories. Already forgotten.

Maybe someday, when they are older, they will meet again. They will touch again. They will love again. But for now, they remain strangers.


	2. Beauty From Pain

**Strangers – Beauty From Pain** (by Superchick)

_The lights go out all around me_

He stares out the window, up at the full moon as he tries to comprehend the lack of bloodlust running through his body. It is a strange sensation. All of his life, he had always craved blood on the full moon, but now… he felt nothing.

_One last candle to keep out the night_

He lowers his eyes, placing a hand over his heart, which, not too long ago, had ceased beating.

_And then the darkness surrounds me_

He had died.

_I know I'm alive but I feel like I've died_

It was all so surreal, like a daydream, and he was still coming to terms with the fact that, for some time, his existence had become void. He was the Kazekage, he was supposed to be the strongest in his village, and while he had succeeded in protecting his people. He failed to protect himself and, by doing so, left his village vulnerable.

_And all that's left is to accept that it's over_

He runs his finger through the sand at his feet, the gourd dissolved for the moment. He can still control the sand and, somehow, that makes it even more difficult to realize that Shukaku truly is gone.

_My dreams ran like sand through the fist that I made_

He closes his eyes, trying to identify the feeling in his chest. It is a familiar feeling, but one he hasn't felt in so long that he no longer remembers what it is. Without his demon, he feels weak and unworthy of being Kazekage, like he no longer has purpose.

_I try to keep warm, but I just grow colder_

A pair of soft hands encircle his torso, face leaning into the nape of his neck. "Gaara." She whispers, his name barely audible as it falls from her lips.

_I feel like I'm slipping away_

He inhales softly, taking in her scent, a scent he remembers well. Her voice gives him new purpose and his soul flickers back into life. His will to live, returned. He shifts slight, pressing his cheek to hers.

_After all this has passed, I still will remain_

"Naru, I… need you."

_After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain_

Her hand slip away as she moves to face him, palms pressed against his forearms. She leans forward to kiss him. His arms wrap around her petite waist, pulling them close so that their bodies touch.

_Though it won't be today_

She places a hand over his heart "You're not alone." She assures him. "I'm here."

_Someday I'll hope again_

The smallest of whimpers escapes him and he holds her tighter, desperate for the human contact so long neglected him. For the reassurance others cannot provide. She runs her fingers delicately over his twisted spine, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

_And there'll be beauty from pain_

He cradles her tiny form against his own, her frame stunted from years of malnutrition like his, yet they fit together perfectly. Two pieces of the same puzzle. He places one hand on the back of her head while the other caresses the curve of her rump, holding her ever tighter.

_You will bring beauty from my pain_

He presses their cheeks together once more, lips brushing against her earlobe. The four-pointed star he gave her so long ago is still bold on her neck. "You are mine…" He states, almost questioning.

_My whole world is the pain inside me_

"Then. Now. Always." She murmurs.

_The best I can do is just get through the day_

Not a single day has gone by that he has not thought of that night they shared. She has always been at the back of his mind, understanding and loving him, driving away his loneliness even on the coldest of nights.

_When life before is only a memory_

He closes his eyes, sighing, and gently kisses her ear. She respond by gently pulling away from his neck and meeting his lips softly, longing and needing and comforting, though not as intensely as their first moments together. This time is softer, gentler, more patient, and less demanding. Their tongues prod at one another shyly, neither daring enough to explore what lies beyond the other's lips.

_I'll wonder why Gods let me walk through this place_

Her hands slip under his shirt, tracing over the smooth skin beneath. Not an arousing gesture, she simply wants to feel him, be close to him, to touch him like no one else has ever been allowed to.

_And though I can't understand why this happened_

Slender fingers pull away the buttons one by one, soon pushing the cloth away to expose ivory-pale flesh. Their lips part and she kisses his chest briefly before leaning into his body. Her ear is pressed against his flesh, sapphire eyes closing as she listens to his soothing heartbeat.

_I know that I will when I look back someday_

He brushed his fingers against her whiskered cheek and through her golden hair, removing the elastic holding it up in her traditional pair of pigtails. A waterfall of gold trickles down her back in a wave. He kisses the top of her head, arm secure around her waist.

_And see how you've brought beauty from ashes_

Her finger traces lazy circles on his flesh, in sync with the steady beating of his heart. The sound is something neither will take for granted again.

_And made me as gold purified from these flames_

She tilts her head to look up at him, lips pressing against his torso, her eyes seeming to pierce the very depths of his soul. Their lips meet and they lie back into the sand, kissing, caressing, and loving

_After all this has passed, I still will remain_

His fingers fumble with the zipper of her jacket, peeling the clothing away and allowing him to be close to her in a way he has longed to for years. His hands roam over her bodice, memorizing her newer, more mature curves.

_After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain_

It is not long until all of their clothing has been discarded and their bare forms lie together, arms embracing, legs intertwined. She plants soft, butterfly kisses along his collarbone. His arms are wrapped around her waist securely, not willing to let go.

_Though it won't be today_

She had kept herself untouched since that night so long ago. She has forgotten she was taken by anyone but him. His touch is the only one she wants, the only touch she allows, the only touch she needs, and bliss overpowers her mind as they join in the ultimate union.

_Someday I'll hope again_

Bodies slick with warm sweat press against one another in rhythm, gentle but needing.

_And there'll be beauty from pain_

The seal round her naval, blacker than charcoal, seems to glow in the soft moonlight as his fingertips trace around it, eliciting a sight of pleasure from her, breath laced with need and want.

_You will bring beauty from my pain_

Her fingers dig into his skin as her spine arches and she cries his name, her desire reaching its climax. Her name falls from his lips in a broken gasp, pleasure shuddering through his body at a degree he forgot existed.

_Here I am, at the end of me_

He collapses down beside her, eyes sliding closed, arms wrapped around her waist, sand all around. He nuzzles her collarbone, sleep tugging at the edges of his mind and, for once, he doesn't resist.

_Trying to hold to what I can't see_

She holds him against her bosom, her fingers trailing through his hair, now listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. His hair is soft and smooth, making her think of spun rubies. Her thumbs brush over the dark patches around his eyes affectionately.

_I forgot how to hope_

She buries her face in his crimson hair, closing her eyes as she imprints his smell into her mind. She pulls away with great reluctance, softly kissing his cheek one last time. She turns and reaches for her clothing, but stops.

_This night's been so long_

She looks down at the sand wrapped around her wrist.

"Stay." He whispers, his jade, black-rimmed eyes pleading.

_I cling to your promise_

She breathes inward and bites her lip. She wants nothing more than to do as he says; to never leave his side again as long as she lives. But her country still needs her. She still has promises to uphold and a duty to follow.

_There will be a dawn_

"Gaara…"

"Please."

_After all this has passed, I still will remain._

She feels her heart shatter and a single tear falls from her sapphire orbs. Exhaling, she turns and gazes upon his form lovingly, a soft, small smile gracing her features. She leans down to kiss him.

_After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain_

"Okay." She breathes, taking her place beside him. Her country can take care of itself, she decided, pressing their lips together. There are other ninja who can take her place and here is where she is needed the most. Here is where she wants to be. Here is where she is truly loved.

_Though it won't be today_

And he, for the first time, experiences sleep with her in his arms.

_Someday I'll hope again_

Her comrades beckon her back to the village with them, but she refuses coldly, as is her way. Let her village do what they will; she will not leave him ever again. And as the others walk away, leaving her behind, she caresses his cheeks and whispers to him

_And there'll be beauty from pain_

"Aishiteru."

_You will bring beauty from my pain_


	3. Porcelain Heart

**Part 3 – Porcelain Heart** (by Barlow Girl)

_Broken heart_

_One more time…_

He watches her silently as she sits on the edge of the cliff, looking over his village sad eyes. She missed her home village.

_Pick yourself up_

_Why even cry…_

The pressure to go back was enormous, especially with the Hokage sending her teammates and friends over almost constantly in an attempt to convince her to go back. But she stayed by his side, refusing to leave, and he loved her all the more for it.

_Broken pieces in your hands_

_Wonder how you'll make it whole…_

He tenses when she scoots closer to the edge.

_You know_

_You pray_

_This can't be the way…_

He knew she was too strong to attempt something like suicide, but that didn't keep her from thinking it.

_You cry_

_You say_

_Something's gotta change…_

The knowledge that she would even think about leaving him was unbearably painful.

_And mend this porcelain heart_

_Of mine…_

She turns her head when the sand around her shifted, moving her away from the side of the cliff.

_Someone said_

_A broken heart_

_Would sting at first then make you stronger…_

She stands on the golden grains as they carry her toward him and she readily falls into his embrace, bitter tears falling into the crook of his neck. His arms slide around her waist, squeezing gently.

"It hurts." She murmurs.

_You wonder why this pain remains_

_Were hearts made whole just to break?_

He strokes her cheek softly. "I know." He tells her before tilting her chin up and capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

_You know_

_You pray_

_This can't be the way…_

She melts into the touch, butterfly eyelashes curling shut when he pulls away to lick away her tears. The tip of his nose brushes against hers.

"Naru…"

She looks up at him.

"I want to show you something."

_You cry_

_You say_

_Something's gotta change…_

She nods and golden sand swirls around them as he kisses her once more, teleporting them to someplace distant. The familiar smell of trees surrounds her, filling her heart with joy and wonder.

_And mend this porcelain heart_

_Of mine…_

He slips behind her, holding her waist and lacing their fingers together as she gasps at the sight of the small oasis. Emerald green palms highlighted with silver sway in the night window. The diamond blue pool glitters magnificently, ripples scattering everywhere from the petite waterfall.

She spins around and kisses him deeply, lips tilted upward in delight.

_Creator only you take brokenness_

_And create it into beauty once again…_

"Oh, Gaara…"

"Please don't cry anymore." He pleads gently, swiping tears away with a pale thumb.

_You know_

_You pray_

_This can't be the way…_

She kisses him again, pulling them toward the water and messing with the buckles of his vest. His gourd falls away as the cool water begins to touch the soles of her feet.

"For you, I will."

_You cry_

_You say_

_Something's gotta change…_

A stray stone wanders into her path and they fall into the water none too gracefully, ear-deep and sending droplets of diamond into the chill desert air. Her smooth, whiskered cheeks flush slight pink, hands clutching his jacket as if to dear life. Tresses of gold float right beneath the water's surface.

His knee landed suggestively between her legs, one hand on either side of her head, faces inches away. Two sets of eyes close as he lowers himself to kiss her.

_You know_

_You pray_

_This can't be the way…_

He had spent days looking for this perfect sanctuary for the two of them. Somewhere where they can slip off to without being followed. Where they can sit and forget about the cruelties of the world around them. Where he can kiss away her worries and make her forget Konoha, for a while at least. Where she can make love to him and temporarily make him forget the suffocating duties that come with being the youngest Kazekage in history.

_You cry_

_You say_

_Something's gotta change_

Her body beneath him, bare and naked as the day she was born, skin glowing lily-pale in the moonlight, is still as beautiful as ever. Smooth, flawless, and free of any blemish save for the seal around her naval and scar of being hit with the infamous Chidori. The same scar he too possesses, though on the opposite shoulder.

She leans up and kisses the scar on his chest softly. He, in return, nibbles down her graceful neck and between the valley of her breasts, stopping at the center of her seal.

_And mend this porcelain heart_

_Please mend this porcelain heart_

_Of mine…_

His tongue traces around the dark patterns of the sensitive seal, causing her to whimper. The faint red glow around the markings is not lost to him and he kisses her stomach firmly, passing along an unspoken message to the demon still sealed within her.

She was his.

_Of mine…_

He rests his head on her soft abdomen, the cold sensation and gentle sound of the water around them numbing his limbs and lulling him into a drowsy, meditative state. She trails her fingers through his sunset-red hair, smiling softly.

_Creator, mend this heart._


	4. Where Will You Go?

**Part 4 – Where will you go?** (by Evanescence)

He strides down the hallways, his feet heavy, pearl-white robes dusting against the sandy floors. The voices of the council members still echo in his head. They still wish to send his lover, his mate, back to her home village. Away from him and back into the hellish environment she grew up in.

The hateful glares.

Spiteful whispers.

The ostracism.

_You're too important for anyone_

_To play the role of all you long to be_

As ruler, he has the power to overthrow their decisions in favor of his own, to keep here with him, but only just. He is a figurehead as well as protector. So much is expected from him and war is something that cannot be risked out of his own personal feelings.

_But I, I know who your really are_

_You're the one who cries when you're alone._

He goes straight to the window of his bedroom, resting his hands on the sill and staring out at his village as night falls upon them, a dark blanket sprinkled with white jewels.

He too has lived through a harsh, difficult life. Isolated by dark glares of hatred and fear. His heart aches, the pain almost physical, but tears have long since been outside of his abilities.

Dried up and cast aside during his childhood.

_But where will you go_

_With no one left to save you from yourself_

Her slim, strong arms slip around his middle from behind, her small body and firm breasts pressing into his back. He closes his eyes and exhales shakily, sinking into her embrace, warm and comforting. She is his only escape from the demanding world that surrounds them.

_You can't escape_

_You can't escape_

It is almost frightening, how well they know one another. She alone understands how heavily his duties weigh upon his shoulders, how he would have crumbled to his knees and given up long ago had she not been there to caress and hold him. To catch him as he fell and keep him on his feet, even if only barely.

Her lips attach themselves to his pale neck, canines ghosting over his pulse with the eerie semblance of a vampire. A wave of golden tresses spill down her cheek and over his shoulder.

_You think that I can't see right through your eyes_

_Scared to death to face reality_

He turns around in her arms, clear blue meeting worn green chained by rings of black. Her fingers cup his cheek, stroking and comforting as she melds their lips in a desperate kiss. He squeezes his arms around her, trembling with the intensity of a child.

_No one seems to hear your hidden cries_

_You're left to face yourself alone_

A tear falls from her eyes, sliding down her whiskered cheek and between their lips. A sweet, but bitter kiss that leaves a craving that is impossible to sate.

_But where will you go_

_With no one left to save you from yourself_

_You can't escape_

_The truth_

Heavy clothes pool on the floor, entangling between their feet. He gasps for air as she parts their lips to tickle along his jaw line and neck. Her knees bend, and she sinks to the ground, pulling him down with her, her body impossibly warm against the chill, desert night air.

Not even the moon dares to shine, and he clings to her anxiously, her hot skin and golden hair shining like a flame.

_I realize you're afraid_

_But you can't abandon everyone_

_You can't escape_

_You don't want to escape_

His breath, burning and shaky, mingles with hers as the thrust simultaneously, as if they could sear their flesh together with the ferocity of their emotions. He whispers into the shell on her ear, words he cannot even remember saying causing her crystalline eyes to water and a smile to grace her soft, tanned face.

She whispers back, tremulous, voice broken, and places butterfly kisses over his eyelids.

_I'm so sick of speaking words no one understands_

_Is it clear enough that you can't live your life alone?_

_I can hear you when you whisper_

_But you can't even hear me screaming_

His arms lock around her, fingernails leaving bloody, red crescents on her back as he finally shatters, spine arching as he screams her name, emotions laid bare to her and only her.

_Where will you go_

_With no one left to save you from yourself_

_You can't escape_

_The truth_

"Naru!"

She exhales, her breath nearly ending in a sob. "Gaara," she keens, "Oh, Gaara." She repeats his name like a mantra that can save their tainted souls, peppering him with seemingly endless kisses.

_I realize you're afraid_

_But you can't reject the whole world_

Spent, her body slumps beside his, sweat intermingling, connecting their bodies into one. Her long, calloused fingers slide through his cherry-red tresses, slick with heat and sweat. His pale hands hold her firmly by the waist, stomachs and noses touching, legs tangled in an impossible knot.

Chains binding them together; silken and unbreakable.

_You can't escape_

_You won't escape_

His body begs for sleep, and she clings to him, a silent plea to stay, but as Kazekage his duties seem to never end, especially if he wants to keep her. The blue and white robe rests anew upon his shoulders, and as he prepares to leave, her pink lips latched onto his throat, he wonders, not for the first time, if she is the only thing that keeps him sane nowadays.

His salvation.

_You can't escape_

_You don't want to escape_

"Don't go," she murmurs.

Remorsefully, he pries away her clinging fingers and kisses her once more, deeply, before exiting through the door. Back into the world they both dread to face and live within.

"I promise," he whispers, and closes the door behind him softly.


	5. Part 5

**Part 5**

A bargain had finally been made to keep her in Suna with him. It was something neither of them was ready for and he had debated furiously to change it, but Konoha held firm. They were given two years and they had yet to succeed in the circumstances that would allow her to stay by his side.

They still could not conceive a child.

She stopped crying after the ninth miscarriage and it killed him how the love of his life, who valued all life so much, grew colder and more numb as time passed. The loss of the unborn children tore their insides apart, staining their hands more fiercely than any fellow ninja they killed in cold blood. The blood of their children refused to wash away.

She went to the Shinto shrine everyday and begged the kami for a living baby; for the infant developing within her to not die like the rest. Sometimes it was all he could do to kneel beside her as she prayed herself hoarse and the heavy sandalwood incense burned itself out to gray ashes. And each time, he would carry her home and do his best to comfort her. There was still time, he would tell her.

"There's still eighteen months left."

"There's still a year left."

"We still have three months left."

Time was slowly ticking away.

He held her tightly as she sobbed into his chest and caught sight of the silver charm she wore around her neck. He knew what it said very, very well. Katsuro. The only child of theirs that she had successfully given birth to. A son. Stillborn. She stopped crying after that. It had been a beautiful baby, its hair a lighter shade of red than his, with flawless gray skin. They had named the infant "victory child" for being the first baby she had given birth to, stillborn or not.

He could never forget the shattered look on her whiskered face.

"Come on, Naru! Push!" he told her firmly, holding her hand like a lifeline.

She bit back a scream, trying to force the infant out of her body. Sweat and tears mingled across her cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed, something he found himself doing more and more as time went by. Prayed that this time the baby would be alive despite being dangerously premature. That all would end up okay and the love of his life would be able to stay with him. If this child wasn't alive… they'd only have one more chance; two at best.

Her lips began to bleed under the pressure of her teeth and he leaned down and kissed her fiercely, as if that itself could ensure that, even if the child was dead like the rest, it would all still be okay.

Then they heard a wail.

Weary blue and silver-green eyes snapped open in shock. There was another cry and she began sobbing uncontrollably. He stared in awe at the medic-nin, or more specifically, the child in the medic's arms.

The child was tiny, hardly longer than the medic's hand, dangerously premature. But it was alive, pink-faced and shrieking. The babe's hair was a unique shade of red, with a brighter, more orange tint than that of his own ruby locks. Its eyes were squinched and teary and he could see the glint of a blue so dark it almost seemed black. The umbilical cord was cut and his eyes burned as he looked upon his daughter.

His living, breathing daughter.

Her golden hair spider-webbed across her face and she pulled away trembling like a leaf. "Our baby, Gaara. Where is our baby? I want to see my baby. I can hear her. Where is she? Where is Akane?"

He tightened his hold on her, hands pressing into the small of her back. Akane: deep red. He didn't have to ask his mate to know that she wasn't describing the infant's hair color. She had been named for the blood of her many miscarried brothers and sisters.

But they were not permitted to hold their newborn, living daughter. He clutched his kitsune to him as the medic-nin pulled the screen and began hooking up the child to machines and ran diagnostics; working furiously to make sure that Akane did not die.

His beloved sobbed and clawed at his back, struggling in her bed. "Where is my baby? Is she okay? Is she alive? Please, please, I want to see my baby. She needs me!" she wailed, on the verge of hysterics. Medics moved to crowd around the Kazekage and his lover, but he leapt onto the bed and knelt over her form, his body pressed firmly against hers, his lips firmly enveloping her mouth.

"She came too early, Naru. They're taking care of her. They're going to make sure she lives."

Her tears were hot against his cheeks. Her thin arms wrapped around his neck; she'd wasted away so much from the stress, grief, and child-carrying; it had taken its toll on him too.

"I can stay now," she whispered in sudden realization.

His response was to kiss her, the wailing of their child filling their ears.


	6. No One

**Part 6 – No One** (by KOY)

_How can I tell you this?_

They both had hoped that having a baby would make things better. That, with a child between the two of them, linking not only their love, but also their villages they could finally be together forever and be happy.

But, he reasoned, they were Jinchuuriki, and fate would never be so kind to them.

He worried for her. The woman she had been had faded so thin from the stress of the pregnancies, the many miscarriages, she no longer burned with the Will of Fire. An orange, faded coal was all that was left of the large, burning blaze of her spirit.

She wouldn't look at their daughter; wouldn't hold her, wouldn't feed her; so intense was her depression. She screamed and cried, and verbally attacked the wet nurse with brutal, demonic words of hate.

_I cannot touch you,_

_But I can kill you._

Once, she hit him, and though he could not feel her palm on his cheek through the armor of sand he wore, the blow to his heart was far sharper than anything else he'd ever been struck with. She had never looked so guilty and self-loathing before and never raised her voice or hand in anger again after locking herself in their bathroom for four days.

_I'm so sad to say to you,_

_But don't put your face so close to me_

It was that time in the day where the sun was setting, the sky blazing nectarine orange, gold yellow, and blood red streaked with dusky lavender. The stars had yet to emerge from their hiding places. Civilians were clearing the streets, and the ninja were emerging from the shadows to watch over the soon-to-be sleeping villagers like a pack of wolves protecting their young.

He has found the wet nurse exhausted and pale, sleeping in the living room, and safely concluded that his daughter must have been napping as well. Caring for the premature child of Jinchuuriki was no easy task.

He glided up and down the extensive hallways of the Kazekage mansion, and found her, of all places, in their daughter's room. Panic bloomed within him for a moment, but he relaxed when he saw she wasn't doing anything rash and the baby was still fast asleep and unharmed.

_Now I hear you say my name_

_So I cross the light to be with you_

Her faded, golden hair spilled over her arms and into the crib, blue eyes hidden behind lowered butterfly lashes. She sniffed, and he realized she was crying.

"Naru," he breathed, and wasn't completely unsurprised when she didn't look up.

He strode to her side, feet sinking into the plush, ivory carpet. Their daughter was fast asleep in her crib, lacy blankets wrapped around her tiny body, face pink and a bit splotchy, petite finger between red, pout lips. The infant's hand was hardly larger than the end of his thumb.

He knelt beside his love, running his fingers wordlessly through her endless, oily locks of hair. The backs of his hand stroked her whiskers, which appeared almost black against her pale, fragile skin. "Naru," he repeated softly.

She shuddered and closed her eyes. Inhaling deeply and slowly. "I'm a bad mother," she whispered, and his face softened in awe. She trembled under his touch uncontrollably. "I've hurt Akane; I… I hurt _you_." Her face vanished behind her hands. "I'm awful. I'm such an awful, terrible,_monster_."

_What can you do for now?_

_I know you can…_

_I know you cannot do anything._

He stood abruptly, sand whirling furiously around his robes as he grasped her chin with enough force to bruise and crashed their mouths together. He could taste her tears, her grief and guilt, the darkness that clung to her insides like a parasite. It made their kiss, once filled with so much love and passion, oh-so bitter.

She pushed against his shoulders, trying to break them apart, but he was stronger than her now, and he knocked over her chair as he lifted her from the floor and pressed her against the wall.

She squirmed, trying to push him away, but he kissed her and held her, stealing her breath away in gulps until she went limp in his arms. He pulled away then, cradling her hand in his hands, her breasts pressed harshly against his chest.

"Don't ever say such a thing again, _ever_," he hissed, his lips drawn in a painful grimace. She couldn't look away from his hard, pleading green gaze, "You are _not_ a monster. You are my mate, my wife, my _love_, and you've had the carry a child neither of us is ready for. _Look at me_," he growled, drawing her eyes back to his face. "It will be okay. Akane will be okay. _I love you_, Naru. How could I ever not?"

_I'm so sad to say to you_

_But don't put your face so close to me_

Shining, pearly tears trickled anew from her large, blue eyes. He smoothed them away with his thumb and kissed the wetness away from her cheeks and lashes. He kissed her checks, her eyelids, her neck, her hands, and he laced their fingers together tightly until their knuckles were ashen.

She let him touch and move her, kissing back every so often when their lips met and trembled when his hand pressed her full, nourished breasts. His teeth nipped at her collarbone, dexterous fingers pushing down the top of her nightgown. She bit down on two of her fingers, suppressing the moans that threatened to escape.

"Gaara… the b-baby…"

He understood immediately, kissing her swollen lips hungrily as sand crawled up her legs and covered them both until they were in the master bedroom. He wasn't gentle as he pushed her onto the burnt red-orange, transparently thin sheets, drapes of the canopy fluttering like wings at the wind her movement caused.

He stripped her bare, demanding her attention, and tearing her out of the postpartum depression she had dug herself so deeply into.

_Now I hear you say my name_

_So I cross the fire to be with you_

She cried out as his mouth closed over one ripe bud, suckling her or her womanly nutrients. He marveled at her sweetness, pinning her arms down firmly, denying her the ability to touch him, push him away, or cover her naked body in shame. He milked her painfully, ignoring her cries and tears, unwilling to let her fall into the black pit of depression and despair.

She couldn't tell when he managed to get his robes off, only that he kissed her fiercely as her body exploded with a feeling she had let herself forget. She clung to his shoulders desperately, overflowing with emotion when she realized that he too was trembling, silent tears falling down his face.

He kissed her, touched her, made her body burn and _ache_ in his unbridled worship of her entire being. Sweat glued them together as one, and he made her his again and again and again, healing her shattered soul the only way he knew how.

The flourished in what others labeled as a terrible sin, as only demons could.

_I'm so sad to say to you_

_But don't put your face so close to me_

Her nails pierced bloody crescents into his back, her nose buried in his neck, taking in all his love, his smell, and his pain. A pain that, deep down, rivaled her own.

He rested his forehead against hers, utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and he knew she was in the same state. They lay in each other's arms, sharing the same breath, the same heartbeat, the same soul, intertwined as it was as if they were one being instead of two.

He kissed her softly, lovingly, the heartfelt contact saying it all without the aid of words. He told her, through a kiss, how much he loved her, how much it hurt him to see her suffering, even the emotions that no words existed for.

She exhaled shakily, her head nestled under his chin, golden locks mixing with blazing red. Her world at that moment was filled with warmth, contentment, love, and new light and she held him against her with the wish that they could stay here, this way, for the remainder of their lives.

_Now I hear you say name_

_So I cross the light to be with you_


	7. Love Me Tender

**Part 7 - Love Me Tender** (by Elvis Presley)

She was learning. Slowly, but she was learning, and so was he. She was learning what to do, how to be a mother.

The wet nurse was still with them, the baby required so much attention; the two of them could not handle the child by themselves. But she was rising above her depression. She took Akane in her arms, breast-fed the growing infant, and watched in fascination as the child's tiny hand gripped her mother's finger.

_Love me tender,_

_Love me sweet,_

_Never let me go._

He often sat with her, stroked his daughter's bright hair and wondered when the babe would open her eyes for them: all she ever did was eat and sleep. When would he get to see those midnight-blue eyes again?

He was always eager to leave his office, finishing his duties quickly, and get home to them, his two beautiful girls. To hold them both, kiss the forehead of one, and the lips of the other.

_You have made my life complete,_

_And I love you so._

She was almost always waiting for him when the sky was dark and his Kazekage duties were at last over for the day, sitting in the window with their child in her arms, starlight dulling her golden hair to the pale yellow of aged parchment, weaving and looping over her shoulders, unbound.

He leaned on the doorframe, observing her with soft eyes. Then he strode across the room, shedding his robes as he moved, and was by her side, kissing her, embracing her, their child squished gently between their bodies.

He closed his eyes and exhaled. "I'm home."

She smiled softly, humming in the back of her throat. He lifted the babe from her arms, cradling the infant against his chest. Akane shifted, burbled a bit, and settled, her pink lips parting slightly.

He kissed his lover again, and she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as they stood and put the child to bed.

_Love me tender,_

_Love me true,_

_All my dreams fulfilled._

They stood above the cradle for a while, and watched their little one sleep. Him embracing her from behind, chin resting on her shoulder. He buried his nose in the junction of her shoulder and neck, dusting his lips over the mark that branded her as his mate.

She sighed in contentment. "Gaara,"

_For, my darling, I love you,_

_And I always will._

She was still fragile, not yet fully recovered. She still cried easily, and her muscles had waned. She wasn't the warrior she once was, and he doubted she really would ever be her old self ever again.

So he held her thin waist delicately, kissed her tentatively, and gradually pulled her to their bed, his hands roaming her curvaceous body with feather-light touches.

_Love me tender,_

_Love me long,_

_Take me to your heart._

She held her arms above her head as she sat on their comforter, a child waiting to be undressed. Her cheeks were flushed pink. Their clothes were coaxed from their bodies by his strong hands

He buried himself into her, his hands on her back, mouth on her neck. She was trembling ever so slightly. He held her, made love to her gently and sweetly.

_For its there that I belong,_

_And we'll never part._

He could smell the sweat on her skin, the shampoo in her hair; hear her rapidly thumping heart. He consumed her mouth and they shared breath as if one entity. He massaged her palm with his hand, feeling the softening callouses, her ridged, short cut fingernails.

She could still see the ink staining his fingers, and feel the loose grains of sand on his scalp. She traced her fingertips over his back, smooth and flawless skin, squiggly, misshapen spine. She exhaled into his mouth. He inhaled her breath into his own lungs. He exhaled, and she breathed him in.

He whispered sweet something's into her ear when their kiss broke.

_Love me tender,_

_Love me dear,_

_Tell me you are mine._

"Naru," he whispered.

Every muscle in her body tightened, her toes curling, fingers clenching in his hair. Then the tension was gone, and her body seemed to melt beneath him, releasing a long, breathy sigh.

He buried his face in her shoulder, his speedy breath slowing to a normal rate. Her hand moved, fingers stroking his scalp in a patient rhythm. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax beside her, one hand resting on her abdomen, ankles woven together. The sound of her heart in his ear was a lullaby. That rare thing called sleep was creeping into his limbs for the first time in a long time.

He lifted one arm, kissing her nose, and pulled the bed curtains closed. The moonlight vanished, leaving them in darkness. Above the covers, he held her nude form protectively against him, and succumbed to slumber.

_I'll be yours through all the years,_

'_Till the end of time._


	8. I'd Like

**Part 8 – I'd Like** (by Freshly Ground)

They never should have let up on their training.

He'd been foolishly forgetful. Akatsuki had stolen his demon and brought him to the gates of death. He'd let himself forget the fact that they would eventually come back for his love. And come they did.

_What would you do if I kissed you?_

_What would you do if I held your hand and laid you down?_

Sunagakure was a mess. The death toll had been staggering, buildings demolished to dust and sand. He'd fought back with his all, her too, but child rearing had softened him and had made her weak. Her mental and physical state was still frail. Still, on occasions, he'd find her washing her hands raw, find her shoulders shaking with sobs as she cried in the shower, glaring at the wet nurse from the shadows with hate. Sometimes still refusing to hold their child.

Things were already so hard for them, sanity held by strings, their tiny beginnings of a family even less that that. The world had never been, and would never be kind to them. Fate showed them his kindness by throwing Akatsuki in their faces yet again.

_Would you find me overly unkind to you?_

_Would you call me insensitive, and say that I deserve to die?_

She'd fought fiercely, calling on trump card upon trump card, slashing through the cannon fodder with graceful movements her body hadn't yet forgotten. Mere minutes into the battle and she was soaked through with the blood of the enemy. but she was out of practice and wore down fast, her bony shoulders heaving with every ragged breath.

He'd called her to him, his mind screaming to protect her, but she pressed onward and though Akatsuki failed in capturing her, they wounded her, badly, before the shinobi of the village managed to drive them away.

He sat by her hospital bed, face hidden in his hands, overwhelmed with self-loathing. She remained in a state of unconsciousness, body hooked up to a number of purring, beeping machines. Suna's hospitals didn't have the necessary assets to tend to her injuries. Konoha was her only hope if she wasn't to spend the rest of her life crippled.

_What do I do with all these feelings tearing me up inside?_

_What do I do with all these wasted hours dreaming of you at night?_

_I'd like to call you sometime…_

Yet if Konoha got their hands on her, they would do everything they could to ensure that she didn't leave their gates ever again.

Clouds crusted the sky. The sun did not shine.

_What would you do if you knew the truth?_

_What would you do if I told you the story of my life?_

He felt he could do nothing else but send her East. Within a few days, those she once called her team arrived to escort her palanquin _kago_ out of the desert and into the lush forest that her home village resided in. His insides twisted with apprehension, hands wishing for nothing more than to snatch her away and cradle her in his arms. He felt his scarred heart cracking with every step the escorts took away from his village, taking his beloved further and further away from him with every passing heartbeat.

_Would you find me overly familiar towards you?_

_Would you call me crude, fling me aside to the birds?_

_What do I do with all these feelings holding me back inside?_

_What do I do with all these wasted hours dreaming of you at night?_

The entire world was leeched of color. The wet nurse stood beside him, Akane in the woman's arms.

A commotion then demanded his attention. The Konoha shinobi struggled, movements persistently gentle. Too gentle, he thought, as his mate tumbled out of her litter and into the sands. Even from the great distance, he could see the tears marring her cheeks as she hobbled upright, limping toward him in blind desperation, arms outstretched like the child she never was.

"Gaara!"

He didn't hesitate, running to her, aching to hold her in his empty arms. "Naru!"

_I'd like to call you sometime_

_I'd like you to need me one time_

She sobbed. "Gaara! _Gaara_!"

He only just managed to catch her as her shattered mess of a leg collapsed. Her fingers clung to him like a lifeline, her body shivering with hysterical cries. The Konoha ninja stared, knowing that they had truly lost the person that had once been their greatest asset, their eyes admitting defeat.

_What would you do if I kissed you?_

_What would you do if I held your hand and laid you down?_

"I can't go, I just can't go! Don't make me go, Gaara, please! I… I… I'd rather die that be without you! Gaara. Gaara. Gaara…"

_Would you recognize it's a need I've been fighting for so long?_

_Would you recognize it's a hunger only you can fill?_

He kissed her fiercely, laying his lips across every inch of skin he could reach. "It's okay." He murmured. Oh, if only those words were more than a pretty little lie. If only they could stand to be apart long enough to get her healed. But they were too dependent on one another; they needed one another more than life needed water. They loved each other entirely too much, to the point where their love could very well be the thing that sent them spiraling to their deaths.

_What do I do with all these feelings warming me up inside?_

_What do I do with all these glorious hours dreaming of you at night?_

Her blood continued to soak into the sand.

_I'd like to call you sometime_

_I'd like you to need me one time_

_I'd like to have you all the time_

_I'd like to call you..._


End file.
